The Bottom Line: B & L studied the Acuvue Bifocal lenses (which have been around a few years) and improved upon them. They hit a home run with Soflens Multi-Focal.

I find I can no longer see close-up as well as I used to, for example I have to hold the phone book very far away to read it clearly. This is called Presbyopia and it happens to everyone as they age, typically becoming noticeable around age 40. It is caused by the eye lens becoming less flexible. I worked with my eye doctor to try to find a bifocal or multi-focal contact lens. This is similar to multi-focal or progressive lenses for eyeglasses, part of the lens is for distance and part is for close-up vision correction.

I first tried Acuvue Bifocal lenses. I found that they tended to dry my eyes out by the end of the day. Also, there was a kind of "out of focus" effect with them, something didn't feel natural, there was sort of a haze effect. Then I asked to try the Soflens Multi-Focal lens. The first pair I tried had a base curve too shallow (8.8) and they caused irritation after a few hours. When I told my eye doctor, he changed them to a 8.5 base curve. A perfect fit, these new lenses allow me to see very well for reading and they also have excellent distance correction. These are close to the natural vision I had before Presbyopia set in. These lenses are sturdier too and easier to clean and insert. They stand up to a good squirt from a bottle of saline solution.

If you are looking for a multi-focal or progressive contact lens, make sure you give these a try before making your final decision.